Reviews of music and some things that I like and don't like

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Monthly Archives: April 2018

This band from Pavia, Italy has been around since 2015 and has put together their new album of instrumental prog rock. Basically, a duo, Jacopo Bigi (acoustic and electric violin), and Paolo Fosso (piano and keyboards) have added a bunch of people to this album to give it the sound that they were striving for. The album also includes Colin Edwin (bass), Giacomo Lampugnani (double bass), Corrado Bertonazzi (drums), Maria Chiara Montagnari (voice), Diletta Fosso (child’s voice), Marcello Rosa (cello), Quartetto Indaco (string quartet): Eleonora Matsuno (violin), Jamiang Santi (violin), Francesca Turcato (viola), and Cosimo Carovani (cello), and finally Jacopo Bigi also plays viola, and ukulele on “By the Waters of Babylon,” whistles on “Freaks” and plays both violins and viola on “A Playful Day.” Whew!

As you can see, what a group of people on here, and not totally instrumental, but vocals used very carefully and sparingly on the album. Starting off with violin and sweet vocals, the album gets going to a great effect with added piano and then the band kicks in and get things going in a rock-oriented vein that is catchy and thrilling. The instrumentation on this album is just unbelievable, with so much going on and in such different ways that the blend is simply intoxicating and will give you goosebumps. The album has a beautiful flow to it, going from one song to the next and carrying you on a journey that you never want to end. The production is perfect, giving the sounds the space that they need to be heard and having fullness to the mix.

This band is unique and will have you wanting more and more from them as you listen to the haunting sounds they produce. This is something special that you won’t find in any other band, they have hit the jackpot on this one.

Agency plays neo-soul layered between fun-loving, message-filled hip-hop grooves on this brand new album. Agency is making an impact on the music scene, hitting number one on Traxsource and winning two Indaba Music contests. Agency’s sound encompasses indie, rock, acoustic, electronic, house, and alternative hip-hop, along with funk, soul, pop, and jazz flavors.

Coming off more like a funky, non-rock version of Lenny Kravitz on the vocals and the ‘60s-‘70s vibe of the album, I was really not prepared for what I heard. I thought it was going to be more rap/hip-hop oriented, and yes, there is that feel to an extent, but the funk…the funk. There is a modern sound on this album, especially on “Joyride,” but the first two tracks are more old-school sounding and really grabbed me right away. This is a very mixed bag that hits so many different styles, think going to a club and hearing different artists, that’s what this is, something new on every song. The cover of The Classics IV’s “Spooky” is fantastic, with such a great vocal and delightful playing. The production is clear and gives you a chance to hear everything in the mix with nothing fighting to be heard.

This is the kind of stuff that I would normally never listen to, mostly because of the way that it has the rap/hip-hop terms added to it in the description, but that is such a small part of this. This is funky, fun and a delight from start to finish…grab this one!